Shona Holmes health care incident

Shona Holmes, or Shona Robertson-Holmes, (born 1964 (age 59–60)) is a Canadian woman who underwent treatment for a Rathke's cleft cyst in the United States, and claimed the condition threatened her life.[1] Her cyst was removed August 1, 2005. Holmes sought treatment in the US claiming that she was unable to get timely treatment in Canada. Holmes sued the Ontario provincial government seeking payment for her medical and travel expenses. She has given testimony before members of the US Congress during a Republican-sponsored hearing about healthcare legislation,[2] and has appeared in ads seeking to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and defeat President Obama in the 2012 presidential election.

The facts surrounding her medical condition are controversial and cannot be independently verified because she has refused to release her medical records, citing her lawsuit. However, the Mayo Clinic, where the surgery was performed, has stated that she could have eventually lost her sight without surgery.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

She is a resident of Waterdown, Ontario, a small community in the rural part of Hamilton. In 2007, she described herself as a family mediator.[10] In 2008, she described herself as a patient advocate.[5]

  1. ^ San Diego Union Tribune http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2009/sep/30/us-fact-check-obama-opponents-093009/
  2. ^ House Republican Health Care Solutions Group, Introduction
  3. ^ SAINT JOHN'S HEALTH CENTER (or John Wayne Cancer Center) Occasionally, this remnant enlarges to form a cyst. RCCs can cause pituitary failure, headaches and in some instances, vision loss.
  4. ^ Julie Mason (2009-07-27). "Time for a reality check on CNN's 'reality check'". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  5. ^ a b Shona Holmes (2008-07-19). "Shona Holmes: Don't destroy American health system: Canadians need it". Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  6. ^ Joan Walters (2009-07-18). "Obama health plan foes put on a Canadian face: Hamilton brain tumour survivor tells Americans that Canada's universal care system failed her". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  7. ^ Ian Welsh (2009-07-21). "Americans Lives vs. Insurance Company Profits: The Real Battle in Health Care Reform". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2009-07-25. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  8. ^ "Canadian defends anti-medicare ad". CBC News. 2009-07-21. Archived from the original on 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  9. ^ Lori Robertson (2009-07-22). "Canadian Straw Man: More ads claim Congress is pushing Canadian-style health care". Nebraska State Paper. Archived from the original on 2013-02-03. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
  10. ^ Tanya Talaga (2007-09-06). "Patients suing province over wait times: Man, woman who couldn't get quick treatment travelled to U.S. to get brain tumours removed". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2009-07-27. Lindsay McCreith, 66, of Newmarket and Shona Holmes, 43, of Waterdown filed a joint statement of claim yesterday against the province of Ontario. Both say their health suffered because they are denied the right to access care outside of Ontario's "government-run monopolistic" health-care system. They want to be able to buy private health insurance.